CHESTER ZOO has announced it will be closed on Friday, February 18 as Storm Eunice is due to hit the area that day.

There is an amber weather warning for the area, with winds of up to 70mph to hit Chester for most of the day.

As a precaution, the zoo has announced it will be closed to the public that day.

In a statement posted on social media, it said: "It’s due to be a bit wild and windy out there tomorrow!

"So, for everyone’s safety we’re going to keep our gates closed on Friday, while the animals will be tucked up cosy and warm under the watchful eye of our amazing zoo teams.

"If you have tickets to the zoo for tomorrow then we’ve automatically extended them for a whole year until the end of February 2023.

"Just keep hold of your booking and you’ll be able to use them any time you like until then.

"We apologise for any disruption to your plans but we really hope you understand.

"Thankfully, it’s forecast to be much calmer from the weekend and so we hope to be open again from Saturday morning."

  • Follow The Standard on Friday as we will bring you a live blog of Storm Eunice, which is expected to cause widespread disruption with very strong winds forecast.